The Weeknd Drops Sexy ‘Kiss Land’ And Sincere ‘John Carpenter’

The Weeknd takes pride in his privacy, but on his new tracks “Kiss Land” and “John Carpenter,” the mysterious singer/songwriter opens up about his rise to stardom.

Abel Tesfaye posted both tracks in a single seven-minute YouTube clip on Thursday night. On “Kiss Land,” which also is the name of his forthcoming album, Weeknd broaches a familiar subject, singing of his immense sexual appetite. “Cause the only thing you’re taking, is your clothes off/ Go ‘head girl strip it down, shut your mouth, I just wanna hear your body talk,” he wails.

is far less romantic; instead of his crooning of his sexual exploits, the shy singer lets us into his life a bit. “I got a brand-new place, I think I seen it twice all year/ I can’t remember how it looks inside, so you can picture how my life’s been/ I went from staring at the same four walls for 21 years/ To seeing the whole world in just 12 months, been gone for so long I might’ve just found God,” he breathes in his usual soft voice.

The Weeknd goes on to sing about his off-beat sleeping patterns and drug habits. “My doctor told me to stop, and he gave me something to pop/ And I mix it up with some Adderalls and I wait to get to the top/ And I mix it up with some alcohol and I pour it up in a shot/ I don’t care about you, why you worried about me,” he goes on before warning: “This ain’t nothing to relate to.”

Sonically, both “Kiss Land” and “John Carpenter” have the same dark and moody texture that the Weeknd presented on his three breakout mixtapes that were packaged as last year’s gold-selling Trilogyrelease. But on “John Carpenter,” Abel breaks out of his shell.

Chances are the Weeknd won’t emerge from the shadows he is so comfortable in, but when Kiss Land drops later this year, it sounds like we will learn a lot more about music’s mystery man.